News 2017

SAN MIGUEL DE TUCUMÁN, ARGENTINA – Stage 2 of Dakar 2017 saw Toyota Gazoo Racing SA bank another good performance, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel (#301) posting the second-fastest time of the day. Teammates Giniel de Villiers and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz (#302) was fourth-fastest, and are currently in fourth place in the overall standings, 02:05 behind new rally leader Sebastien Loeb (Peugeot).

The 275 km-long stage was preceded by a liaison of 444 km, taking the crews from the Argentine town of Resistencia to San Miguel de Tucuman. The stage itself offered a mix of surfaces, and took place at only 200 m above sea level.

Al-Attiyah/Baumel, who won Stage 1 of Dakar 2017 on January 2nd, pushed throughout the stage, but saw their overall rally lead slip into the hands of Peugeot rival Loeb. The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA crew is only 28 seconds behind the new rally leader, despite the Frenchman winning today’s stage by 01:23.

“We tried to push when we could,” said Al-Attiyah after reaching the bivouac in San Miguel de Tucumán. “The good news is our Toyota Hilux ran without a single problem today, which is a relief after yesterday’s scare.”

Al-Attiyah/Baumel’s race vehicle suffered a small engine fire at the end of Stage 1, which was reason for concern as much as their opening stage victory was reason for celebration. The technical crew worked into the night to ensure that the Toyota Hilux was in perfect condition for Stage 2, and the effort clearly paid off.

De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz felt confident after recording the fifth-fastest time on Stage 1. This gave them a good road position for Stage 2, and the pair were happy to record the fourth-fastest time of the day. It also pushed them up to fourth in the overall standings, 01:32 behind teammates Al-Attiyah/Baumel.

“It was a good stage for us today, and the car felt absolutely perfect,” said De Villiers after the stage. “We completed the stage just a single second slower than Carlos Sainz (Peugeot), clearly showing how good the 2017 Toyota Hilux really is.”

For Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall, the opening stages have brought a mix of emotions: “We were so pleased to win the opening stage, only to have our elation dampened by Nasser’s engine bay fire. We quickly overcame that and prepared the car for Stage 2, and now the race crews have delivered two solid performances. Additionally, it seems that Stage 2 was much more suited to the buggies: It was flat, with long straights and plenty of grip – all elements that work for them. This was further borne out by the unusually high average stage speed of 120 km/h.”

Next up is the climb to altitude, as Stage 3 takes the crews from the bivouac at San Miguel de Tucumán up to San Salvador de Jujuy, with the altitude peaking at 5,000 m near the end of the stage. The total stage distance for the day is 512 km including a special stage of 416 km. The stage brings the first high altitude dunes, which will equally challenge both the drivers and the navigators.

This will be the final stage in Argentina, before the Dakar crosses the border into Bolivia for five more days of high altitude racing, as well as the rest day at La Paz.